We are pleased to announce that Courtney Jane Miller is now licensed in the state of Arizona!
We are now accepting new projects in Sedona, Phoenix and the surrounding areas.
Category Archives: events
What’s Happening at CJM::LA | January 2021
This month we are focused on how to bring people in closer connection to their natural environment.
Our newsletter features the newly opened Mar Monte Hotel, progress on our Mattei’s Tavern renovation, and our volunteerism efforts in the Santa Barbara community.
Click here to join our mailing list!
Happy New Year 2021!
Quail Ridge Residence | Solvang, CA | Completed 2019
As we kick off the new year, the CJM::LA team is looking forward to longer days, new opportunities for innovation, and developing stronger relationships within our professional community. We remain deeply committed to our work as landscape architects and creatives; and are optimistic for a prosperous new year!
Happy New Year from our family to yours!
CJM::LA + AIASB Design Charrette 2020
At CJM::LA we seek out opportunities to create positive change in our community. The 2020 Design Charrette organized by the Santa Barbara Chapter of the American Institute of Architects aimed to Reinvigorate, Reinvent, Reimagine, and Repurpose our downtown with housing, energy, and life. Both Courtney and Mariella from our office joined the charrette to work with local architects, planners, designers, students, citizens and professionals to develop a new vision for the design of our downtown core to lead us into the next 100 years.
Courtney collaborated with team B whose focus was on the downtown open spaces including the state street promenade, parks and plazas. Here are highlights of team B’s presentation of a new shared pedestrian promenade integrating stadium seating, stormwater, outdoor dining and public art.
Courtney’s words chosen to inspire a lively promenade and community
Courtney’s plan and elevation of what a complete street in Santa Barbara could look like
Mariella collaborated with team 6A whose area of focus were the blocks between Figueroa, Carrillo, Anacapa and Chapala streets; encompassing the transit center, local eateries, banks and other essential infrastructure to our downtown core. Here are some of their design ideas that revitalize the transit center; integrating bus, bicycle and ride share, adding housing, retail spaces and open space to form a highly functioning and invigorating entrance to downtown Santa Barbara.
in person collaborative sketching with Dee Carawan and Tai Yeh
a quick sketch of Mariella’s used in the virtual design collaboration process
Dee Carawan’s final drawing of the transit center block
Thank you to all of our team members and to everyone who helped participate and organize this historical collaborative effort. You can watch the full recording of the design team presentations here. The AIASB
Watch the AIASB Design Charrette 2020 Presentation
The Santa Barbara Chapter of the American Institute of Architects put together the 2020 Design Charrette to Reinvigorate, Reinvent, Reimagine, and Repurpose our Downtown with housing, energy, and life. On Wednesday, each of the sixteen design teams presented their key recommendations and design concepts to the public via a zoom webinar. You can watch the recording of the design team presentations here.
AIASB Design Charrette 2020 Design Team Presentations
For the past two months, over 150 volunteer architects, landscape architects, planners, civil engineers, designers, property owners and associated stakeholders have been hard at work developing a new vision for Santa Barbara’s downtown core. The Santa Barbara Chapter of the American Institute of Architects put together the 2020 Design Charrette to Reinvigorate, Reinvent, Reimagine, and Repurpose our Downtown with housing, energy, and life.
At 6 PM on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 each of the sixteen design teams will present their key recommendations and design concepts to the public via a zoom webinar. All are welcome! Please join Courtney, Mariella and the Santa Barbara community for this exciting event!
Click here to join the webinar!
Password: 937473
Central Coast Green Building Council 2020 Green New Construction Award
We are thrilled to announce the Direct Relief Headquarters has been awarded a U.S. Green Building Council 2020 Green Award by the Central Coast Green Building Council. Thank you to DMHA , our incredible client and the entire project team.
The Central Coast Green Building Council Green Awards recognizes outstanding sustainable building achievements and community members within the tri-county region.
The Green Awards highlight innovative design, construction, products, businesses, schools, governments and educational programs.
Check out this video of our project by DMHA highlighting the project team’s collaborative successes in designing a sustainable, efficient, beautiful and thoughtful site for the Direct Relief headquarters, offices and distribution center.
SB Beautiful Golden Leaf Awards
We are thrilled to have our Dune parklet awarded a Santa Barbara Beautiful ‘Golden Leaf Award’ through our participation with Allen Construction‘s ‘Locals Helping Locals’ program. Thank you Allen Construction, Dune Coffee, Santa Barbara Beautiful and the Santa Barbara community for showing creative resiliency throughout this pandemic.
KEEPING SANTA BARBARA BEAUTIFUL DURING COVID-19
SB BEAUTIFUL “GOLDEN LEAF AWARDS”
CELEBRATING 55 YEARS OF BEAUTIFICATION
WHO: Santa Barbara Beautiful continues a 55 Year tradition of beautification with “Golden Leaf Awards”.
WHAT: SBB honors local businesses & organizations who showed leadership during this challenging time of Covid-19 Pandemic to enhance public space & support the arts.
HARD NUMBERS: (60) Hand-Calligraphed Awards Certificates for “Outstanding Community Support”
QUOTE: “We’re honored to celebrate our 55th Anniversary with Golden Leaf Awards – dedicated to the strength of our community & the individuals who have given joy to our city during difficult times. Congratulations to each and every one!” ~ Penny Haberman, President SB Beautiful.
WINNING PROJECTS & PARTICIPANTS:
- “Light It Blue”: City of Santa Barbara – Nina Johnson, Project Coordinator
- Project Description: Local landmarks lit up in blue during the month of May to show gratitude to healthcare & essential workers.
- Host Facility Sponsors: Arlington Theater; Lobero Theater; SB Museum of Natural History Sea Center; Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara; Mission Santa Barbara.
- Coordinators/ Artists/ Sponsors: Andrew Gartner, Gartner Design Co. (Coordinator); Lani Ballonoff, SPARK Creative Events (Sponsor); Kym Cochran & Jonathan Smith, The Environment Makers (Participating Artists); Casey Caldwell, SB Arts Collaborative/CAW) (Sponsor); Jake Hanson, Bella Vista Designs (Sponsor); Ethan Turpin Art & Design (Participating Artist); Nina Dunbar (Coordinator).
- “Locals Helping Locals”: Allen Construction – Lindsay Helmick, CFO Project Coordinator
- Project Description: Building Pro Bono Outdoor Parklets; Seating; ADA Ramps, etc.
- Community Partners: Hayward Lumber; Mission Audio & Visual; CJM::LA; Evergreen SB
- Local Businesses: Brass Bear Brewing & Bistro; Dune Coffee; Holdren’s Steaks & Seafood; Kunin Wines; Little Kitchen; Mollie’s Restaurant; Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro Montecito; Restaurant Roy; Valley Project; Villa Wine Bar.
- “2020 Design Charette – Downtown State Street”: AIA Santa Barbara Chapter, Project Coordinator
- Project Description: Reinvigorate, Reinvent, Reimagine, and Repurpose our Downtown with housing, energy, and life.
- Charrette Committee Co-Chairs: Cass Ensberg FAIA & LEED AP; Detlev Peikert AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Ellen Bildsten AIA LEED AP; Matt Beausoleil AIA & 2020 president AIA SB.
- Steering Committee: Alex Pujo AIA; Amy Fitzgerald-Tripp AIA; Paul Rupp AIA; Dennis Thompson FAIA; John Campanella; Karen Feeney, Hon. AIASB; Nina Johnson; Tony Tomasello; Jasper Jacobs P.E.
- “2020 Awards for Responsive Works to Covid-19~Artists’ Stipends”: County of SB Office of Arts & Culture – Sarah York Rubin, Executive Director
- Project Description: In recognition of artists’ essential contributions, up to 20 stipends of $500 each to local artists who created work in response to this unprecedented time of COVID-19.
- Dennis Smitherman, County Arts Commission; Karen Kerns, SB Bowl Foundation. Project Participants: “#
WeMakeEvents” “#RedAlertRESTART” .
- Project Description: Local participation in a nationwide event of Red illumination of performing arts & culture venues on September 1, 2020 in support of live entertainment industry during Covid-19 pandemic.
- Host Facilities Event Sponsors: SB Bowl: Rick Boller, Executive Director; Eric Shiflett, Program Director. Arlington Theater: Tammy Steuart (Metro Theaters)
- Project Coordinator: Christopher Darling
- Lighting: SPARK Creative Events
About Santa Barbara Beautiful
Since 1965, Santa Barbara Beautiful has planted over 12,000 trees, provided over $500,,000 in grants to support local art and design projects, funded scholarships to students majoring in environmental horticulture & architecture, and celebrated numerous individuals, residences, and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional efforts to make Santa Barbara beautiful.
The purpose of Santa Barbara Beautiful is to stimulate community interest and action toward the enhancement of Santa Barbara’s beauty as a complement to current and future government and private activity.
Santa Barbara Beautiful is an organization of volunteers dedicated to beautifying our area in a variety of ways not only by working independently but also by cooperating with city departments, neighborhood association and other agencies. Formed in 1965 by concerned civic leaders, Santa Barbara Beautiful is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. Contributions are tax-deductible
ArchitecTours Wrap-Up
We were out in full force last Saturday, giving tours of our Direct Relief project as part of the Santa Barbara AIA’s ArchitecTours. After an in-depth presentation by Michael Holliday, architect for the project, Courtney and Nicole led community members on a tour of the exterior of the property. Our design for the new headquarters includes innovation and reflection gardens, courtyards for events and employees, and stormwater infiltration features such as bioretention basins, bioswales and permeable pavers. The overall design language for the property features a “reed” pattern which reflects upon the history of this region as part of the Goleta Slough. Details such as the trellises, gates, and formliner panels which imprint the concrete tilt-up walls reflect this language. The planting design includes a subdued color palette and focus on form, texture and pattern in the plant material.
We received so many questions about the species of plants used throughout the property, so offered to share our plant palette which you can view below. Thank you Direct Relief for allowing us to open your doors to the community, and to everyone who came out for the tour. We love to share the story behind our work!
Nicole Horn Promoted To Associate Principal
We are excited to announce that Nicole Horn has been promoted to Associate Principal at our Santa Barbara design studio!
Nicole joined CJM::LA in 2016. With both Masters of Landscape Architecture and City and Regional Planning degrees, she has brought expertise in urban planning, resource management and landscape architectural design to the CJM::LA team. This interdisciplinary background has enabled her to bring forward not only innovative design solutions, but also strategic planning solutions to help guide our projects through the entitlement, permitting and construction processes.
Over the past three years, Nicole has demonstrated her leadership capabilities through the implementation of a number of contributions to CJM::LA and our extended community. Her role as a board member of the Ventura Botanical Gardens has allowed her to advocate for climate-appropriate design and resilience. Her involvement in our studio has resulted in a collaborative design approach that prioritizes environmental, economic and social sustainability to the benefit of our community and clients. Nicole pushes herself and others to take risks, innovate and surpass conventional design roles and traditions.
In her new role as Associate Principal and Director of Operations, Nicole will lead our design team in the implementation of a series of objectives to help better streamline our workflow and expand our creative output. She and our President, Courtney Jane Miller, will continue to push the boundary of the expected as they lead CJM::LA towards a successful future.
CJM::LA Team Expands!
We are excited to announce the return of our Design Intern, Mariella Dentzel, at our Santa Barbara design studio!
Mariella comes to us with experience in product, furniture and installation design and fabrication. While at CJM::LA, she has begun to apply the creative problem solving skills she developed as part of her degree in product design to the field of landscape architecture. Mariella values the sense of place that successful designed spaces bring to our collective experience of the environment around us. In her free time, Mariella enjoys exploring new environments on her bike and climbing mountains!
AIASB ARCHITECTOURS 2018 | FEATURING NEW WORK BY CJM::LA
CJM::LA’s recently completed Arlington Village property, as well as our in-progress adaptive reuse property will be featured on this year’s AIASB ArchitecTours!
The Santa Barbara AIA’s annual ArchitecTours, a celebration of local architecture, will showcase the architectural fabric of downtown Santa Barbara, including new and recently completed properties in the downtown core. The theme of this year’s ArchitecTours is ‘Rediscover Downtown Santa Barbara: Imagine How You Can Live, Work & Play’.
Arlington Village Apartments | 1330 Chapala Street
Adaptive Reuse | 418 State Street
Each of the twelve projects showcase the best of downtown and include a mix of commercial and residential projects demonstrating how we live in downtown Santa Barbara. This event draws attention to the extraordinary architectural legacy in Santa Barbara and the value of well-designed architecture to its surrounding community. Equally, ArchitecTours highlights the expertise that AIA architects (and Landscape Architects!) possess including a thorough understanding and expertise in urban design, sustainability, accessibility, structural improvements, building materials, and historic renovation.
The tour will be held this Saturday October 6th from 10am – 4pm and will culminate with a festive party.
Tickets are $80 for general public, $70 for AIA members and seniors, and $25 for students.
Tickets can be purchased here.